335 research outputs found
Biosourced Janus molecules for functional additives
The estimated global production of biomass is about 1011 ton/year and only 3% is cultivated, harvested, and used, for food and non food applications. The agricultural dry biomass waste is about 20 Gton. Hence, it really makes sense to start from biosources and in particular from the 2nd generation ones, which do not have impact on the food chain, to prepare new and more sustainable materials.
The research here reported moved from biousourced C3 and C6 building blocks: glycerol and aldaric acids. By applying the basic principles of green chemistry, they were transformed in functional chemicals, suitable for the preparation of a large variety of materials. Fil rouge of these chemicals is the ability to combine the typical features and reactivity of the biosourced molecule with those arising from the chemical modifications. In this respect, they are Janus molecules.
An example of a Janus molecule is 2-(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1,3-propanediol (serinol pyrrole, SP), obtained from 2-amino-1,3-propandiol (serinol), a glycerol derivative. SP was found to be a universal functionalization agent for sp2 carbon allotropes and inorganic oxy-hydroxides. Hybrid systems were also prepared, based on both carbon and inorganic materials. The innovative chemical structure of such a Janus molecule allowed to perform functionalization reactions which are easier and more sustainable than the traditional ones.
Nanosized sp2 carbon allotropes were successfully functionalized and the adducts found pervasive applications, from nanocatalysis for low temperature organic chemistry reactions to bionanocomposites, to functional additives for piezoresistive and antibacterial coatings, to reinforcing fillers for rubber composites for tires.
The chemistry developed with these biosourced Janus molecules is becoming a technology, as different applications are at the pre-industrial scale
A green approach to the edge functionalization of graphene layers with a bio-based 2-pyrone
Increasing awareness and concerns about climate change have spotlighted the need for a sustainable development. Green chemistry, defined as âthe design of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substancesâ, pursues the aim to transform hydrolyzed biomass, mainly composed by carbohydrates, into suitable building blocks.
In this context, 2-pyrones build up a class of C-6 unsaturated lactone from lignocellulosic feedstock and intriguing building blocks for the preparation of key intermediates in synthetic organic, medicinal and polymeric chemistry.
In this work, a green and efficient pathway for the preparation of a 2-pyrone starting from mucic acid is presented. Furthermore, a 2-pyrone derivative, ethyl 3-hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-pyran-6-carboxylate (Pyr-COOEt ), was used for selectively decorating the edge of a nano-sized graphite with high surface area (HSAG), without altering the graphitic bulk structure.
The preparation of adducts between HSAG and Pyr-COOEt was performed through a sustainable method, with the help of either thermal or mechanical energy, reaching high functionalization yield (up to 90%). Few layers of graphene were easily obtained by means of a mild sonication of a water dispersion of the HSAG/Pyr-COOEt adducts
Bio-Based feedstock as renewable sources for low dissipation energy elastomeric composites. Synthesis of pyrrole compounds
Edge functionalization of graphene layers with a 2-pyrone
Conversion of hydrolyzed biomass, mainly composed by carbohydrates, into suitable building blocks is one of the major purposes of Green Chemistry, defined as ââthe design of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substancesâ. 2-pyrones are a class of unsaturated heterocyclic C-6 sugar derivatives, prevalent in many natural products and, due to their versatile chemical reactivity, intriguing building blocks in organic and polymer chemistry.
In this work, a green and efficient procedure for the preparation of 2-pyrone is presented, starting from galactaric acid, also known as mucic acid, easily obtained from galactose or galacturonic acid. A 2-pyrone derivative, 5-hydroxy-6-oxo-6H-pyran-2-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (Pyr-COOEt) was used for the functionalization of nano-sized graphite with high surface area (HSAG).
Adducts of Pyr-COOEt with HSAG were prepared by means of a simple and sustainable method, with the help of either thermal or mechanical energy. Functionalization yield was in all cases larger than 90%. After the functionalization reaction, the bulk structure of HSAG remained substantially unaltered, thanks to the edge functionalization. Few layers graphene were easily obtained by means of a mild sonication of a water dispersion of the HSAG/Pyr-COOEt adducts
Controlled Functionalization of Graphene Layers
Controlled functionalization of graphene layers is one of the most important research objectives in the material chemistry. A well established procedure is the oxidation with strong acids and oxidizing agents often in harsh and dangerous reaction conditions giving products of unknown precise structure. In this chapter, the controlled functionalization of graphene layers with a derivative of serinol is presented, avoiding toxic reagents and dangerous reaction conditions. The derivative is the bioâbased serinol pyrrole, obtained through the neat reaction of serinol with 2,5âhexanedione; the graphitic substrate was high surface area graphite (HSAG) with highâshape anisotropy. The functionalization reaction, characterized by a 85% atomic efficiency (water is the only byâproduct), evolved with high yields leading to functionalized graphene layers through the controlled introduction of oxygen and nitrogenâcontaining functional groups. Sustainable processes were adopted, such as ball milling and heating. The mechanism pathway, the characterization of HSAG and reaction products through a wide range of analytical methods, some successful applications of the adducts are discussed in this chapter. The functionalization left the bulk crystalline structure of the layers substantially unaltered. Stable dispersions in water and ecoâfriendly solvents were prepared
FACILE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF sp2 CARBON ALLOTROPES WITH A BIOBASED JANUS MOLECULE
A simple, versatile, sustainable, not expensive method for the functionalization of sp2 carbon allotropes, both nanosized
and nano-structured, without altering their bulk crystalline organization, is presented. Carbon materials available at the
commercial scale were used: furnace carbon black (CB), nano-sized graphite with high surface area, and multiwalled carbon
nanotubes. A bio-sourced molecule, 2-(2,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-1,3-propanediol (serinol pyrrole), was used for the
functionalization. Serinol pyrrole (SP) was obtained from serinol through a reaction with atomic efficiency of about 82%,
performed in the absence of solvents or catalysts. Synthesis of serinol pyrrole was performed as well on carbon allotropes as
the solid support. Adducts of serinol pyrrole with a carbon allotrope were prepared with the help of either thermal or
mechanical energy. Functionalization yield was in all cases larger than 90%. With such adducts, stable dispersions in water
and inNRlatex were prepared.Afew layers of graphene were isolated from the water dispersions, and NR-based composites
precipitated from the latex revealed very even distribution of fine graphitic particles. Composites were prepared, based on
NR, IR, andBRas the rubbers andCBand silica as the fillers, with different amounts of CBâSPadduct, and were cross-linked
with a sulfur-based system without observing appreciable effect of functionalization on vulcanization kinetics. The CBâSP
adduct led to appreciable reduction of the Payne effect
Molecular Identification of Italian Mouse-eared Bats (genus Myotis)
Despite the fact that the genus Myotis (Mouse-Eared bats) is
one of the most investigated microchiropteran groups, recent molecular
studies highlighted the presence of several cryptic species with substantial
implications for ecological and conservation issues. Our dataset includes 55
coxI sequences from 11 morphologically-identified Italian Mouse-Eared bats
species. We applied an integrated approach comparing data from a traditional
morphological identification and molecular variability in a fragment of the
mitochondrial coxI gene (DNA barcoding). Our results clearly show a strong
coherence between the two identification approaches for almost all of the
examined species, and revealed interesting patterns of intraspecific variability
within the species M. nattereri. Finally, we successfully tested the efficacy of
our identification method on undetermined individuals sampled in the field
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